Rohan
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The Kingdom of Rohan (derived from the Sindarin 'Rochand' or 'Horse-land') is a nation on the northern borders of Gondor, founded in T.A. 2509 (497 years ago). It is the territory of the Rohirrim, a people of farmers and herdsmen. Well-known for their horses and cavalry, they are Gondor's most important ally.
Summary
Main article: The history of Rohan
The borders of Rohan are the river Isen from its junction with the river Adorn and then northwards to the outer walls of Isengard and the river Adorn in the west; from the outer walls of Isengard eastwards and northwards along the eaves of Fangorn Forest to the river Limlight in the north; and the river Anduin and the west-cliff of the Emyn Muil hills down to the marshes of the mouths of the river Entwash and the Mering Stream in the east. The White Mountains are its southern border.
The most significant feature of Rohan's geography is the river Entwash, which marks the border between the Eastemnet and Wold and the rest of the kingdom. Other lands were the Westemnet, Westfold, the Folde and Eastfold. The West-march region to the west of the White Mountains is nominally under Rohan's control, but its people have a great deal of Dunlending blood and remain mostly independent.
The Rohirrim found abandoned Gondorian fortresses and refuges in the White Mountains, such as Aldburg and the Hornburg which they restored and used themselves.
The capital of Rohan is the hill fort of Edoras which lies on the slopes of the White Mountains. Another large settlement is Aldburg, which was the first capital after the Steward Cirion granted the land to the Rohirrim.
On the server, it has a population of approximately 9'500 people (550'000 at 1:1).
Climate and ecology
By land area, Rohan is mostly made up of open grassland and steppe. Closer to the White Mountains, forest dominates. Its climate would be fairly warm, with a mean annual temperature of around 10°C. It would be roughly comparable to the northern Balkans. The dry continental air brings in the summer heat and winter frosts. In contrast, oceanic air brings rainfalls and reduces summer temperatures. In the lowlands and valleys, there is often fog, especially in winter. A dry period of 3-4 months is usually experienced from midsummer until early autumn.
The regions and their biome types are as follows:
Westemnet:
- L2 - Sub-Mediterranean-subcontinental herb-grass steppes, locally meadow steppes
- S25 - Tall sedge fens
Eastemnet:
- M1 - West and central Pontic herb-rich grass steppes
- M6 - Central Pontic herb-grass steppes
- L2 - Sub-Mediterranean-subcontinental herb-grass steppes, locally meadow steppes
- S25 - Tall sedge fens
The Wold:
- M1 - West and central Pontic herb-rich grass steppes
West-march:
- U27 - Submontane-montane grey alder forests
- U25 - Southwest French ash-alder forests
- F132 - (Spruce-)fir-beech forests
- G39 - Southwest Central European mixed downy oak forests
- F53 - South subatlantic thermophilous sessile oak-hornbeam forests
- D29 - Spruce-fir forests in the inner Alps
Government and military
Government
Rohan is a feudal monarchy which has been ruled by the House of Eorl since its founding. Each of the regions of Rohan is ruled by an Ealdorman, a major nobleman appointed to the post by the King. For example, Erkenbrand is the Ealdorman of Westfold, and his seat is in the Hornburg. There are a number of local nobles sworn to each Ealdorman who usually have their seats in the largest hall of each village.
Military
The military of the Rohirrim is commanded by Marshals. The First Marshal of the Riddermark is the highest military rank and commands the Muster of Edoras: Riders of the capital Edoras and the surrounding lands, including the King's Lands and Harrowdale. King Théoden leads the Riders of the Muster of Edoras himself, so no First Marshal is currently needed. The Second and Third Marshals have no fixed duties, and their roles change according to the needs of the time. The Second Marshal of the Riddermark is Prince Théodred. The position of Third Marshal of the Riddermark, based at Aldburg in the Folde, is currently vacant after Éomund was killed four years ago in the Emyn Muil. His son Éomer stands to inherit the title once he is of age.
The Riders are divided into one hundred Éoreds. in the days of King Folcwine a "full Éored" was defined as 120 horsemen (including its captain). As such, a full muster of the Riders of the Rohirrim would number at least twelve thousand, if not many more. This does not include levied infantry.
Rohan's heavy cavalry come from the agricultural regions close to the White Mountains - the destriers and coursers required for these units cannot be fed on grass alone and require supplemental feed in the form of hay or oats. Its light cavalry (scouters and skirmishers) also mostly come from this region, although the groups of Rohirrim who live a nomadic life out on the plains provide units of highly skilled horse archers.
Architecture
As Rohan is a relatively young kingdom whose people typically use timber, thatch, and wattle and daub in their buildings, there is not a great deal of architectural variation. The basic unit is the longhouse, which is based upon the the Germanic cattle-farmer longhouse. These emerged along the southwestern North Sea coast in the third or fourth century BCE and may be the ancestors of several medieval house types such as the Scandinavian langhus, the English, Welsh and Scottish longhouse variants and the German and Dutch Low German house. The longhouse is a traditional and simple form of shelter.
Meduseld, the great hall of the Kings of Rohan, is likely to have been inspired by the mead-hall Heorot — the "golden hall" of King Hrothgar in the poem Beowulf.
Villages, hamlets and homesteads have land divided into family plots. These plots include one or more residential longhalls, buildings for food and grain storage, space for vegetable allotments - and in many cases, animal enclosures. Plots often also have a barn and/or profession-related workshop. The vast majority have bakehouses and/or weaving houses as well. The larger settlements are quite spread out - effectively a series of interconnected homesteads around a central alehouse.
In the Westemnet, Eastemnet and Wold, there are a subset of the people of Rohan who live a more nomadic existence. In the warmer months, they live out on the plains in camp and tent, with large herds of horses, cattle and sheep. In the winter, some go to live in permanent structures.
Regions
Folde
The Folde is the centre of the Kingdom of Rohan, in which the royal house and its kin had their dwellings.
Its boundary eastward was roughly a line south-west from the junction of the Snowbourn and Entwash to the mountains. To the west lies the Westfolde.
The Folde is the most densily populated region of Rohan, home to nearly a third of its people.
Westfold
The Westfold is the western part of Rohan, close to the White Mountains between the Isen and the Folde.
The North-South road lies in the Westfold, as does the Hornburg.
Eastfold
The Eastfold is the southeasternmost region of Rohan, bordered by the Entwash and the White Mountains. The region is culturally and architecturally very similar to the Folde and Westfold.
As with the rest of Rohan, the landscape is dotted with old Gondorian fortifications.
The Eastefold is slightly more rural and depopulated than the rest of Rohan.
Eastemnet
The Eastemnet are the easternmost grasslands of Rohan between the Entwash and the Anduin.
Westemnet
The Westemnet are the westernmost grasslands of Rohan between the Entwash and the Isen.
The Wold
The Wold is the northern part of Eastemnet. It is a wide region of windy upland plains between Fangorn Forest and the Anduin.
The region is well-known for its tall grass. The Rohirrim come here to graze their herds, but there are no permanent settlements.
West-march
The West-march is the westernmost region of Rohan, nominally in between the rivers Isen and Adorn.
Its population is a mix of Dunlendings and Rohirrim, this is reflected in the land's culture and architecture.
The West-march has long held mixed loyalties towards Edoras, and several of its nobles are presently in league with the White Wizard, Saruman.
Inspiration
Several aspects of Rohan's culture and history seem to be inspired by both Goths, Scandinavians and the medieval Anglo-Saxons.
Just like the Germanic Ostrogoths, Rohirric culture was a mounted culture. It had separated from the Northmen, moved south, and had settled in close proximity with a civilization. In the Goths' case it was the Byzantine Empire and in the case of the Rohirrim, it was Gondor.
The Hervarar saga, with its Mirkwood, Gothic horsemen and shieldmaidens, appears to have inspired Tolkien when creating the Rohirrim, although he exchanged the Gothic tongue with the Anglo-Saxon.
The antipathy between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings resembles the historical tension between the Anglo-Saxon settlers of Britain and the native Celts.